Turtle Beach XP500 wirelesss surround sound headset

It just arrived! Christmas came early for me

Nice, be sure to report how you like them etc...

S7 Interseptor wrote:Nice, be sure to report how you like them etc...

What he said. Like I mentioned before, I'd be looking to get some of these if anything were to happen to my X41s.

~mrmiller

Is that the set they're offering on the dewxp site?

They are essentially the same, but not with the MW3 tweaks.

~mrmiller

XP500 is the Xbox version similar to the PX5 for PS3 and the Delta which is a MW3 edition. They all are basically the same, but the XP500 comes with the Xbox bluetooth adapter to plug into the controller for wireless chat, while the PX5 you have to order it seperately. The Delta is significantly more expensive but has cool MW3 logos on it. The XP500 has green (Xboxish) trim while the PX5 has red.

First Impressions:

After using them yesterday... They are well packaged in a nice box. Mine were missing the optical audio cable that should have been included (it is listed in the contents on the manual), but luckily I had a very short spare I can make due with for now. Everything about them looks quality. The receiver has a little cradle on top to hang them on. The cables included were plenty long for me. Besides the missing cable, I was very impressed.
Paired up the bluetooth to my controller adapter, paired up to my cell phone, and I was rocking to music while gaming in minutes. They also came with a preset reference card that is very handy.

Comfort:

The earcups are a nice supple but durable fabric. They were comfortable on my head all evening, no ear fatigue, and did not make my ear's sweat. They go around by Dumbo-like ears. The bar on top is well padded and sits near the front of my scalp. They are surprisingly lightwieght. The mic boom is very flexible (ribbed metal) and easily moved for drinks and eating. I found the controlls on the headset were well placed once you memorize where they are. The most comfortable aspect for me was no wire from headphone to controller. I could drop the controller, leave the headset on, and run to get a drink without jerking the headset off my head or ripping a wire from the controller.

Controls:

Left ear has a wheel for changing game volume, a button to toggle presets, an unneeded mini-usb outlet and unneeded xbox chat port. Right ear has a button to toggle from 'main' to presets, an up/down rocker for bluetooth (chat) volume, a mute button and a bluetooth sync button. The receiver unit has a power button on the back, a master volume nob on the front, and some red LEDs.

Range:

I was able to walk further away and still hear than with my MS wireless mic. It says 20 feet but I went 20 yards before getting some static.

Sound:

It has a "main" setting and 8 presets. You can download more from their website. I'm not sure how to create your own yet and probably won't. I mostly stayed on "main" which has dolby 7.1 surround. I was blown away by the detail in BF3. These headphones saved my life multiple times as I was able to pinpoint where each sound came from. I was skeptical at first about the surround vs stereo, but I'm a believer now. Do not doubt the quality of the sound on these. If it isn't to your liking, change to a different preset.
When I received a phone call it rang in the headphone and the call replaced game chat until I hung up. Call quality was very good, and the caller said I sounded great.
Music in the headphone was fun too. I used my phone's media volume to mix that with the rest. I was getting amped listening to "All I do is Win" while flying a jet. Now I need to load "Highway to the Danger Zone."
The in game chat was a little "tinny." I'm not sure if this is because of the bluetooth or a preset. UC sounded fine, but he has a deep voice. SOme of the higher pitched voices sounded like they came from a tin can. This may be fixed if I use a preset with more trebble boost.

Overall first day review:
Love them! A great purchase in my opinion. I don't regret a thing except the missing cable. I will call and let them know about that, but will probably just go pick up a long one at a store. I'm glad I upgraded to these (previously used mono MS wireless and Turtle Beach X11. The headset runs on two AAs (included) which is great for me as I use rechargeable AAs in my controlers as well. I recommend these headphones to anyone with $250 to spend on quality gear. Not the cheapest option, but there is no substitute for being 100% wireless.

Great review. If I had the money I might just accidentally sit on my 41's- LOL.

~mrmiller